TRPV4 activation mediates flow-induced nitric oxide production in the rat thick ascending limb

Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2014 Sep 15;307(6):F666-72. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00619.2013. Epub 2014 Jun 25.

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates renal function. Luminal flow stimulates NO production in the thick ascending limb (TAL). Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a mechano-sensitive channel activated by luminal flow in different types of cells. We hypothesized that TRPV4 mediates flow-induced NO production in the rat TAL. We measured NO production in isolated, perfused rat TALs using the fluorescent dye DAF FM. Increasing luminal flow from 0 to 20 nl/min stimulated NO from 8 ± 3 to 45 ± 12 arbitrary units (AU)/min (n = 5; P < 0.05). The TRPV4 antagonists, ruthenium red (15 μmol/l) and RN 1734 (10 μmol/l), blocked flow-induced NO production. Also, luminal flow did not increase NO production in the absence of extracellular calcium. We also studied the effect of luminal flow on NO production in TALs transduced with a TRPV4shRNA. In nontransduced TALs luminal flow increased NO production by 47 ± 17 AU/min (P < 0.05; n = 5). Similar to nontransduced TALs, luminal flow increased NO production by 39 ± 11 AU/min (P < 0.03; n = 5) in TALs transduced with a control negative sequence-shRNA while in TRPV4shRNA-transduced TALs, luminal flow did not increase NO production (Δ10 ± 15 AU/min; n = 5). We then tested the effect of two different TRPV4 agonists on NO production in the absence of luminal flow. 4α-Phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (1 μmol/l) enhanced NO production by 60 ± 11 AU/min (P < 0.002; n = 7) and GSK1016790A (10 ηmol/l) increased NO production by 52 ± 15 AU/min (P < 0.03; n = 5). GSK1016790A (10 ηmol/l) did not stimulate NO production in TRPV4shRNA-transduced TALs. We conclude that activation of TRPV4 channels mediates flow-induced NO production in the rat TAL.

Keywords: TRP channels; kidney; luminal flow; mechano-transduction; nitric oxide synthase; shear stress.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Loop of Henle / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Nitric Oxide / metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • TRPV Cation Channels / metabolism*

Substances

  • TRPV Cation Channels
  • Trpv4 protein, rat
  • Nitric Oxide